Reply #15: Do What You Think is Best for the Cat [View All]

[Coyote_Bandit]

That may sound harsh but in reality it is his life, his health, his illness, his pain and suffering. It is selfish for us to make them suffer unnecessarily for our own gratification. And, yes, losing such loving and faithful companions who accept us without condition is painful. The vet most likely will leave any decision to you and may even refuse to make any recommendation. However, assuming they have done the diagnostic work and know what is wrong with the cat they can give you an idea of what to most likely expect.

I have a juvenile renal failure dog that spent a week in doggie hospital with IV's at five months of age. He was in pain, he was throwing up this nasty yellow bile looking stuff, he would not eat and could not keep water down, he lost over 30% of his body weight in a very short time, he had such bad breath that it actually smelled like somthing inside of him was rotten and decaying. He got sick suddenly for reasons that still remain unknown. He also got a second veterinary opinion. One vet was not very optimistic about his long term prognosis and really thought I should consider putting him down. The other vet took a wait and see approach. Over half of the dogs with his particular diagnosis die within a year. He is a long-term survior and will be three years old in June. I have to be very careful with his diet and activity and exposure to heat and cold. He eats prescription dog food and takes Pepcid everyday. And his bloodwork for the past year has shown his renal function to be within upper normal range meaning that his kidney function is somewhat insufficient and impaired but still within levels that do not require medical intervention. I care for him deeply - and differently than I do for my healthy dog. It still seems like everyday that he is healthy is a gift. I know his disease is progressive. He is not cured. There will come a time when I will have to choose how best to care for him and how to give him the best quality of life. I hope that I can follow the advice I have given you.